ALICE: fostering prosociality in high schools
The full name of the project is "ALICE - Adapting Learning in Inclusive Communities and Environment". The project runs in 2018 and 2019.
Goal
The goal of the ALICE project is to to upscale, assess the relevance, effectiveness, impact and scalability, and disseminate in a broader European context, an approach based on Prosociality that was already experimented in some local primary schools in Italy, Greece, Malta, France, Spain and Slovenia, in the framework of a project titled PRO-SAVE (Prosociality Against Violence and Exclusion) financed under the Daphne III programme of the DG Justice -Freedom and Security (JUST/2009-2010/DAP3/AG/1224 -30-CE-0386820-18), and coordinated by Fondazione Centro Studi Villa Montesca, that had very good results in terms of impact.
Pro-sociality
In the project, the concept of "pro-sociality" is central. Pro-sociality is the opposite of selfish behavior; it is defined as rewarding themselves and their partners at the same time. The ALICE project intends to experiment with educative and social pedagogic practices that focus on pro-sociality.
The project starts with the assumption that the main reasons behind social exclusive behaviors are related to ethnic, religious and sexual differences. In order to promote cultural and personal diversity as a value, the project creates a list of practical pedagogic instruments. These can be used by teachers, but also by others who are not formally considered as educators.
Prosociality can foster the acquisition of social and civic competences, the understanding and ownership of fundamental values, thus promoting mutual respect and intercultural dialogue, preventing violence and violent extremism, and combating intolerant attitudes, xenophobia and discrimination on all grounds.
The prosocial programme is based on the definition of common goals and cooperation among students that’s fostered by the increase of empathy, emotional responses, mutual respect. Pro-social behaviour can include tutoring others (from a different background), intervening to help others, as well as learning and applying conflict resolution skills. All of these are effective mechanisms for reducing prejudice and learning pro-social, helping behaviour.
The project approach focuses on "biographic narration" by students. Storytelling with both cognitive and emotional insights can lead to accept or refuse diversity.
Products
- A Pro-Social Manual was developed to provide teachers with practical educative tools to create a social pedagogy of the community. English version. Dutch version.
- A network of local Educating Communities (EC) for promoting social inclusion, to combat discrimination and to exchange experiences. The role of the ECs is create an “educative village” where all members are called to contribute to the education of the youngsters.
- At the end of the project a “Support to policy Reform” will be published in order to propose a set of recommendations to policy makers for combating discrimination through the pro-social approach.
Partners
The project partners are:
- FONDAZIONE HALLGARTEN-FRANCHETTI CENTRO STUDI VILLA MONTESCA
- CENTRO PER LO SVILUPPO CREATIVO DANILO DOLCI
- DOCUMENTA CREACIONES MULTIMEDIA AVANZADAS SL
- Stichting The Global Alliance for LGBT Education
- PERIFERIAKI DIEFTHINSI PROTOVATHMIAS KAI DEFTEROVATHMIAS EKPAI
- CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEMOCRACY
Publications
- Official website
- Newsletters
- Brochure about the project: English, Dutch
- Kristen Dunfield on prosociality (2014, inspiration for the project)
- The ALICE Pegagogical Manual (English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian)
News articles
- GALE is partner European project ALICE on prosociality (15 October 2018)
- Anti-pesten of prosociaal? (11 November 2018)
- Dringend school gezocht voor onderzoek naar lessen sociale vaardigheden (28 November 2018)
- Summer school on prosociality discusses risks of being social(21 July 2019)
- Manual on educating prosociality in high schools published (4 September 2019)
- Prosociality and fighting SOGI-phobia in traditional and democratic schools (18 December 2019)
- ALICE #prosociality conference supports coming out (12 January 2020)
This project is co-financed by the European Erasmus+ KA3 program under grant agreement 592218-EPP-1-2017-1-IT-EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.